Three Summits – relevance for Ukraine

Three summits were held in Europe within 8 days, each of which was of exceptional importance for Ukraine: the European Council summit in Brussels on 23-24 June, the G7 summit in Schloss Elmau in Bavaria on 26-28 June, as well as the NATO summit in Madrid on 28-30 June.

During the European Council summit, Ukraine and Moldova were granted the status of EU candidate country. The Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, welcomed the EU’s historic decision and she expressed her her joy that in these difficult times, the EU heard the people of Ukraine, clearly stated that Ukraine belongs to Europe, and that we have a strong future together. Meanwhile Georgia, which has also applied for EU membership, will be able to become a candidate once it addresses the priorities specified in the European Commission’s opinion on Georgia’s EU membership application.

At the G7 summit, which took place on 26-28 June in Germany, much attention was paid to Ukraine. G7 leaders stated that they will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support to Ukraine in the war with Russia for as long as it takes. This year alone, the G7 countries are “ready to grant, or have pledged and provided USD 29.5 billion in budget aid”. They assured of their intention to support “Ukrainian reconstruction through an international reconstruction conference and plan, drawn up and implemented by Ukraine in close coordination with international partners.” The G7 is expected to continue maintaining and increasing both economic and political pressure on Russia in order to bring about the end of the war.

The last of the above-mentioned meetings was the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance 28-30 June in Madrid. NATO has endorsed a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance for the coming years. Under this new concept, the Russian Federation is recognized as “the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”. In this regard, NATO plans to significantly strengthen defense capabilities and accept two new members of NATO – Sweden and Finland. NATO leaders promised Ukraine a new support package, which will include, among others, accelerating the provision of non-lethal defense equipment, improving Ukraine’s cyber defenses and resilience, and modernising its defense sector.

Sources:  

• The official website of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
• The official website of the Council of the EU and the European Council
• The official website of North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Photo © European Union, 2022